Sea surface temperature record off central Japan since the Last Glacial Maximum using planktonic foraminiferal Mg/Ca thermometry

We conducted paired measurements of the Mg/Ca ratio and δ¹⁸O of planktonic foraminifera, Globigerina bulloides, from a sediment core (MD01‐2420) off central Japan in the northwest Pacific, to reconstruct current movements since the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). These methods make it possible to determine the magnitude and timing of the sea surface temperature (SST) changes and to reconstruct the variations of the past seawater δ¹⁸O (δ¹⁸Ow) off central Japan. The amplitude of Mg/Ca‐based SST changes between the Holocene and the LGM was about 10°C. The strong resemblance of the SSTs estimated from both methods, Mg/Ca‐based and δ¹⁸O‐based, suggests that the SST changes were caused primarily by latitudinal displacement of the Kuroshio–Oyashio currents and no distinct change in the carbonate dissolution of the core. The southward migration of the water mass was 5–6° in latitude at the LGM. The values for regional δ¹⁸Ow changes, which were obtained by subtracting the ice volume contribution from the calculated δ¹⁸Ow, describe the millennial‐scale water mass migration over the last 30 kyr. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Testing the consistency of Holocene and Last Glacial Maximum spatial correlations in temperature proxy records

Holocene temperature proxy records are commonly used in quantitative synthesis and model-data comparisons. However, comparing correlations between time series from records collected in proximity to one another with the expected correlations based on climate model simulations indicates either regional or noisy climate signals in Holocene temperature proxy records. In this study, we evaluate the consistency of spatial correlations present in Holocene proxy records with those found in data from the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). Specifically, we predict correlations expected in LGM proxy records if the only difference to Holocene correlations would be due to more time uncertainty and more climate variability in the LGM. We compare this simple prediction to the actual correlation structure in the LGM proxy records. We found that time series data of ice-core stable isotope records and planktonic foraminifera Mg/Ca ratios were consistent between the Holocene and LGM periods, while time series of Uk'37 proxy records were not as we found no correlation between nearby LGM records. Our results support the finding of highly regional or noisy marine proxy records in the compilation analysed here and suggest the need for further studies on the role of climate proxies and the processes of climate signal recording and preservation.     

Temporal changes in Holocene δ18O records from the northwest and central North Iceland Shelf

The region of north Iceland is highly sensitive climatically owing to its location with respect to atmospheric and oceanographic fronts. In this study we present total carbonate and δ¹⁸O records of benthic and planktic Foraminifera from nine sediment cores from the North Iceland Shelf. The results of this work indicate that the deglaciation of the Vestfirdir Peninsula was completed by 10 200 cal. yr BP. The 8200 cal. yr BP cold event is present only as a minor isotopic event, and seems not to have had much of a cooling effect on the bottom waters of the northwest Iceland shelf. The Holocene maximum warmth, attributed to a stronger North Icelandic Irminger Current, occurred between ca. 7800 and 6200 cal. yr BP. Over the past 4500 cal. yr BP a general cooling trend has occurred on the North Iceland Shelf, and superimposed on this overall cooling trend are a number of oscillations between periods when relatively warmer and cooler waters occupied the shelf. Relatively cooler waters were present at 4200–4000 cal. yr BP, 3200–2900 cal. yr BP, 2500–2350 cal. yr BP and 600–200 cal. yr BP, whereas relatively warmer waters were present on the shelf at 3750–3450 cal. yr BP, 2800–2600 cal. yr BP and 1700–1000 cal. yr BP. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

南海东北部末次冰盛期以来的水文气候变化

本研究以南海东北部MD18-3569孔（22°09.30'N,119°49.24'E;水深1320m）上部10.09m的沉积物为研究材料,利用浮游有孔虫Globigerinoides ruber壳体的氧同位素（δ¹⁸O_c）、Mg/Ca比值计算了表层海水剩余氧同位素（δ¹⁸O_residual）,重建了过去两万年以来（19.88~0.78 ka B.P.,时间分辨率约152a）的表层海水盐度演变历史,结合南海其他站位降水重建记录,分析了研究区的水文气候变化特征。研究表明：1）南海南部和北部δ¹⁸O_residual记录的长期趋势呈反相变化关系,即南海北部δ¹⁸O_residual在末次冰消期逐渐偏负、全新世以来逐渐偏正,指示海表盐度先减小后增大,而南海南部δ¹⁸O_residual则呈现先偏正、后偏负的变化特征。这种南、北反相变化关系表明末次冰消期过程中,随着北半球夏季辐射量逐渐增加,热带海洋上方的大气对流活动增强,包括南海南部在内的暖池区水汽蒸发及相关δ¹⁸O分馏增强,同时东亚夏季风增强、把更多蒸发水汽传输至东亚大陆,途中在南海北部产生更多δ¹⁸O偏轻的季风降水,导致研究区海表盐度降低、δ¹⁸O_residual逐渐偏负。2）在千年尺度上,全新世东亚夏季风于1.4 ka B.P.、2.7 ka B.P.、4.4 ka B.P.、6.2 ka B.P.、7.2 ka B.P.和8.9 ka B.P.共出现6次降水减少事件,平均间隔约1500年,与中国东部石笋δ¹⁸O记录的全新世千年尺度事件一致,可能受太阳辐照度变化影响。因此,末次冰盛期以来,研究区的δ¹⁸O_residual主要受夏季风降水影响。

     

Sea‐level change in the Irish Sea since the Last Glacial Maximum: constraints from isostatic modelling

Models of glacio‐hydroisostatic sea‐level change have been published for the British Isles that are broadly consistent with the observational evidence, as well as with glaciological constraints. It has been argued, however, that the models fail to represent sea‐level change along the Irish Sea margins and in southern Ireland for the post‐deglaciation period. The argument rests on the interpretation of the depositional environment of the elevated ‘Irish Sea Drift’ on both sides of the Irish Sea: whether this is terrestrial or glaciomarine. The isostatic models for the British Isles are consistent with the former interpretation in that sea‐levels on either side of the Irish Sea, south of about the Isle of Man, are not predicted to have risen above present sea‐level at any time since the deglaciation of the Irish Sea. This implies that ice over both the Irish Sea and Ireland was relatively thin (ca. 600–700 m over Ireland). If the glaciomarine interpretation of the elevated Irish Sea Drift is correct, then the maximum ice thickness over central and southern Ireland would have to reach 2000 m, exceeding that over Scotland. Furthermore, for the resulting sea‐level change to be consistent with the Holocene evidence, this thick ice sheet could not have extended to the eastern side of the Irish Sea. Nor could it have been very thick at its northern and western limits. If such an ice model is extreme and incompatible with glaciological observations then the alternative is to accept the interpretation of the Irish Sea Drift as terrestrial in origin. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

中国末次冰盛期以来泥炭发育与气候变化

泥炭是陆地生态系统碳库的重要组成部分,其发育演化对全球碳循环具有重要的影响。然而,目前轨道时间尺度上中低纬泥炭发育与季风演化关系及其对全球CH₄浓度变化的影响,还存在很大的争议。本研究基于末次冰盛期以来我国泥炭发育的起始¹⁴C年龄数据,通过年龄概率密度方法,系统重建了东亚季风区泥炭发育的时空演变历史。结果表明：末次冰盛期我国南方泥炭开始发育,冰消期以来泥炭发育逐步扩展至华北、东北、西北和青藏高原地区,并发育增强;全新世时段,不同区域泥炭发育存在明显的空间差异,东北和西北泥炭发育呈现持续增加,而南方、华北和青藏高原地区在早-中全新世增加,之后呈现下降趋势。结合全国孢粉记录的古气候定量化重建结果,发现我国末次冰盛期以来不同区域泥炭发育主要受降水变化的影响,揭示出泥炭发育主要受控于东亚季风降水的演化。研究表明在轨道时间尺度上,东亚季风演化及其导致的泥炭发育变化对全球CH₄浓度变化具有重要的贡献。

     

Pollen‐ and diatom based environmental history since the Last Glacial Maximum from the Andean core Fúquene‐7, Colombia

The late Pleistocene–Holocene ecological and limnological history of Lake Fúquene (2580 m a.s.l.), in the Colombian Andes, is reconstructed on the basis of diatom, pollen and sediment analyses of the upper 7 m of the core Fúquene‐7. Time control is provided by 11 accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) ¹⁴C dates ranging from 19 670 ± 240 to 6040 ± 60 yr BP. In this paper we present the evolution of the lake and its surroundings. Glacial times were cold and dry, lake‐levels were low and the area was surrounded by paramo and subparamo vegetation. Late‐glacial conditions were warm and humid. The El Abra Stadial, a Younger Dryas equivalent, is reflected by a gap in the sedimentary record, a consequence of the cessation of deposition owing to a drop in lake‐level. The early Holocene was warm and humid; at this time the lake reached its maximum extension and was surrounded by Andean forest. The onset of the drier climate prevailing today took place in the middle Holocene, a process that is reflected earlier in the diatom and sediment records than in the pollen records. In the late Holocene human activity reduced the forest and transformed the landscape. Climate patterns from the Late‐glacial and throughout the Holocene, as represented in our record, are similar to other records from Colombia and northern South America (the Caribbean, Venezuela and Panama) and suggest that the changes in lake‐level were the result of precipitation variations driven by latitudinal shifts of the Intertropical Convergence Zone. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Relative sea‐level changes,glacial isostatic modelling and ice‐sheet reconstructions from the British Isles since the Last Glacial Maximum

While contributing <1 m equivalent eustatic sea‐level rise the British Isles ice sheet produced glacio‐isostatic rebound in northern Britain of similar magnitude to eustatic sea‐level change, or global meltwater influx, over the last 18 000 years. The resulting spatially variable relative sea‐level changes combine with observations from far‐field locations to produce a rigorous test for quantitative models of glacial isostatic adjustment, local ice‐sheet history and global meltwater influx. After a review of the attributes of relative sea‐level observations significant for constraining large‐scale models of the isostatic adjustment process we summarise long records of relative sea‐level change from the British Isles and far‐field locations. We give an overview of different global theoretical models of the isostatic adjustment process before presenting intercomparisons of observed and predicted relative sea levels at sites in the British Isles and far‐field for a range of Earth and ice model parameters in order to demonstrate model sensitivity and the resolving power available from using evidence from the British Isles. For the first time we show a good degree of fit between relative sea‐level observations and predictions that are based upon global Earth and ice model parameters, independently derived from analysis of far‐field data, with a terrain‐corrected model of the British Isles ice sheet that includes extensive glaciation of the North Sea and western continental shelf, that does not assume isostatic equilibrium at the Last Glacial Maximum and keeps to trimline constraints of ice surface elevation. We do not attempt to identify a unique solution for the model lithosphere thickness parameter or the local‐scale detail of the ice model in order to provide a fit for all sites, but argue that the next stage should be to incorporate an ice‐sheet model that is based on quantitative, glaciological model simulations. We hope that this paper will stimulate this debate and help to integrate research in glacial geomorphology, glaciology, sea‐level change, Earth rheology and quantitative modelling. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Change of Gas Hydrate Reservoir and Its Effect on the Environment in Xisha Trough since the Last Glacial Maximum

In this article, Milkov and Sassen’s model is selected to calculate the thickness of the gas hydrate stable zone (GHSZ) and the amount of gas hydrate in the Xisha (西沙) Trough at present and at the last glacial maximum (LGM), respectively, and the effects of the changes in the bottom water temperature and the sea level on these were also discussed. The average thickness of the GHSZ in Xisha Trough is estimated to be 287 m and 299 m based on the relationship between the GHSZ thickness and the water depth established in this study at present and at LGM, respectively. Then, by assuming that the distributed area of gas hydrates is 8 000 km2 and that the gas hydrate saturation is 1.2% of the sediment volume, the amounts of gas hydrate are estimated to be ~2.76×1010 m3 and ~2.87×1010 m3, and the volumes of hydrate-bound gases are ~4.52×1012 m3 and ~4.71×1012 m3 at present and at LGM, re- spectively. The above results show that the thickness of GHSZ decreases with the bottom water tem- perature increase and increases with the sea level increase, wherein the effect of the former is larger than that of the latter, that the average thickness of GHSZ in Xisha Trough had been reduced by ~12 m, and that 1.9×1011 m3 of methane is released from approximately 1.1×109 m3 of gas hydrate since LGM. The released methane should have greatly affected the environment.     

Pleistocene biogeochemical record in the south‐west Pacific Ocean (images site MD97‐2114, Chatham Rise)

Through a multidisciplinary approach based on novel micropaleontological and geochemical analyses, the main paleoceanographic and paleoclimate changes that have influenced the surface‐ and deep‐water circulation in the SW Pacific Ocean (Chatham Rise, eastern New Zealand) during the last million years are reconstructed. This region represents a key area for investigating the climate evolution during the Pleistocene because here the largely wind‐driven Antarctic Circumpolar Current interacts with the west Pacific Ocean circulation via the Deep Western Boundary Current, the major source of deep water for the whole Pacific Ocean. To understand coupling or decoupling events between sea surface and bottom waters, a continuous marine sedimentary succession since 1.1 Ma, recovered by the IMAGES (International Marine Past Global Change Study) cruise in the SW Pacific Ocean (Core MD97‐2114), has been investigated based on calcareous planktonic and benthic microfossil content and C and O isotope record performed on planktonic and benthic foraminiferal tests. Results show the occurrence of long‐ and short‐term patterns of climate and ocean circulation in the last million years as the result of the interplay of ice‐sheet dynamics, surface tropical versus polar water inflow, and trophic status of the surface water. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

末次盛冰期以来西沙海槽天然气水合物储库变化及其对环境的影响

利用Milkov和Sassen的模型计算了目前及末次盛冰期时西沙海槽天然气水合物的稳定带(GHSZ) 厚度及资源量, 讨论了末次盛冰期以来海洋底水温度增加和海平面升高对西沙海槽天然气水合物储库变化的影响.计算结果表明, 底水温度增加使GHSZ厚度减薄, 资源量减少; 而海平面上升使GHSZ厚度增加, 资源量增加, 但底水温度变化对GHSZ厚度和资源量的影响比海平面变化的影响更大.西沙海槽末次盛冰期时GHSZ平均厚度约为299m, 天然气水合物资源量约为2.87×1010m3, 甲烷数量约为4.71×1012m3; 目前的GHSZ平均厚度约为287m, 天然气水合物资源量约为2.76×1010m3, 甲烷数量约为4.52×1012m3.由此可见, 自末次盛冰期以来西沙海槽的GHSZ平均厚度减薄了~12m, 大约1.1×109m3的天然气水合物分解释放了1.9×1011m3的甲烷, 这些甲烷可能对环境产生了重要影响.      

Process length variation of the cyst of the dinoflagellate Protoceratium reticulatum in the North Pacific and Baltic‐Skagerrak region: calibration as an annual density proxy and first evidence of pseudo‐cryptic speciation

Process length variation of cysts of the dinoflagellate Protoceratium reticulatum (Claparède et Lachmann) Bütschli in surface sediments from the North Pacific was investigated. The average process length showed a significant inverse relation to annual seawater density: σ_{t annual} = ?0.8674 × average process length + 1029.3 (R² = 0.84), with a standard error of 0.78 kg m^?3. A sediment trap study from Effingham Inlet in British Columbia revealed the same relationship between average process length and local seawater density variations. In the Baltic–Skagerrak region, the average process length variation was related significantly to annual seawater density: σ_{t annual} = 3.5457 × average process length ? 993.28 (R² = 0.86), with a standard error of 3.09 kg m^?3. These calibrations cannot be reconciled, which accentuates the regional character of the calibrations. This can be related to variations in molecular data (small subunit, long subunit and internal transcribed spacer sequences), which show the presence of several genotypes and the occurrence of pseudo‐cryptic speciation within this species. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A diatom‐based reconstruction of summer sea‐surface salinity in the Southern Okinawa Trough,East China Sea,over the last millennium

A high‐resolution diatom record from site MD05‐2908 in the Southern Okinawa Trough, East China Sea, reveals pronounced multidecadal‐ to centennial‐scale palaeoceanographic changes throughout the last millennium. Summer sea‐surface salinity (SSS) was reconstructed using a weighted averaging partial least squares diatom‐based training set. The reconstructed SSS shows slightly decreasing values during the period AD 905–1930 with considerable fluctuations superimposed on this general trend. Relatively high‐salinity conditions during the interval AD 905–1450 probably suggest a low flood frequency in north‐eastern Taiwan. Furthermore, the high SSS values are associated with a strong and stable influence of the Kuroshio Current on the Southern Okinawa Trough during the Medieval Climate Anomaly. The period AD 1450–1930 is characterized by three low‐salinity intervals (AD 1450–1500, AD 1625–1725 and AD 1770–1880) separated by periods of relatively high salinity. The low SSS intervals indicate increased freshwater discharge into the Southern Okinawa Trough during the Little Ice Age, probably as a result of higher flood frequencies in north‐eastern Taiwan. Spectral and wavelet analyses suggest that this pattern was linked to multidecadal variations in summer SSS, presumably associated with the Pacific Decadal Oscillation. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Sea‐surface conditions in northernmost Baffin Bay during the Holocene: palynological evidence

The analysis of cores collected in northernmost Baffin Bay, from within the area of the North Water Polynya, permits definition of a composite sedimentary sequence ca. 12 m thick spanning the last 10 000 ¹⁴C yr, with only a few discontinuities. Palynological analyses were performed in order to reconstruct changes in surface water conditions and biogenic production. Transfer functions, using dinocyst assemblages, were applied to estimate sea‐surface temperature (SST) and salinity, as well as the seasonal duration of sea ice cover. At the base of the record, prior to 9300 ¹⁴C yr BP, dinocysts and organic linings of benthic foraminifers are sparse, indicating harsh conditions and low productivity. After ca. 9300 ¹⁴C yr BP, the increased concentration of benthic foraminifers (up to 10³ linings cm^?3) and dinocyst fluxes (10²–10³ cysts cm^?2 yr^?1) reveals high biological productivity related to open‐water conditions. The early to middle Holocene, from ca. 9000 to ca. 3600 ¹⁴C yr BP, is marked by relatively high species diversity in dinocyst assemblages and the significant occurrence of autotrophic taxa such as Spiniferites elongatus, Pentapharsodinium dalei and Impagidinium pallidum. This assemblage suggests conditions at least as warm as at present. From ca. 6400 to ca. 3600 ¹⁴C yr BP, transfer functions indicate warmer conditions than at present, with SST in August fluctuating up to 5.5°C. After 3600 ¹⁴C yr BP, the dinocyst record suggests a trend of decreasing temperature toward modern values, marked by recurrent cooling events. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Relative sea‐level observations in western Scotland since the Last Glacial Maximum for testing models of glacial isostatic land movements and ice‐sheet reconstructions

Observations of relative sea‐level change and local deglaciation in western Scotland provide critical constraints for modelling glacio‐isostatic rebound in northern Britain over the last 18 000 years. The longest records come from Skye, Arisaig and Knapdale with a shorter, Holocene, record from Kintail. Biostratigraphic (diatom, pollen, dinoflagellate, foraminifera and thecamoebian), lithological and radiocarbon analyses provide age and elevation parameters for each sea‐level index point. All four sites reveal relative sea‐level change that is highly non‐monotonic in time as the local vertical component of glacio‐isostatic rebound and eustasy (or global meltwater influx) dominate at different periods. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Holocene seasonal sea‐surface temperature variations in the southern Adriatic Sea inferred from a multiproxy approach

Holocene cooling events have been reconstructed for the southern Adriatic Sea (central Mediterranean) by means of analyses of organic walled dinoflagellate cysts, planktonic foraminifera, oxygen isotopes, calcareous nanoplankton, alkenones and pollen from a sediment core. Two cooling events have been detected, during which sea‐surface temperatures (SSTs) were ca. 2°C lower. Unravelling the SST signal into dominant seasonal components suggests maximum winter cooling of 2°C at around 6.0 ka, whereas the cooling at ca. 3.0 ka might be the result of a spring temperature cooling of 2–3°C. The events, lasting several hundred years, are apparently synchronous with those in the Aegean Sea, where they have been related to known cooling events from the Greenland ice‐core record. A distinct interruption in Adriatic Sea sapropel S1 is not clearly accompanied by a local drop in winter temperatures, but seems to be forced by ventilation, which probably occurred earlier in the Aegean Sea and was subsequently transmitted to the Adriatic Sea. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Relationships between primary productivity and bottom‐water oxygenation off northwest Africa during the last deglaciation

The upwelling region off northwest Africa is one of the most productive regions in the world ocean. This study details the response of surface‐ and deep‐water environments off Mauritania, northwest Africa, to the rapid climate events of the last deglaciation, especially the Bølling–Allerød (15.5–13.5 ka BP) and Younger Dryas (13.5–11.5 ka BP). A high accumulation rate gravity core GeoB7926‐2, recovered at ～20° N, 18° W, was analysed for the grain size distribution of the terrigenous sediment fraction, the organic carbon content, diatom and benthic foraminifera communities. Humid conditions were observed during the Bølling–Allerød with a high contribution of fluvial sediment input. During the Younger Dryas intensified trade winds caused a larger sediment input of aeolian dust from the Sahara and more intense upwelling with higher primary productivity, as indicated by high diatom concentrations. The abrupt and large increase of organic matter caused low oxygen conditions at the sea floor, reflected by the poor benthic foraminiferal fauna and the dominance of the low‐oxygen‐tolerant foraminiferal species Bulimina exilis. This is surprising since low‐oxygen conditions have not been recorded during modern times at the sea floor in this region, despite present‐day intensive upwelling and high primary productivity. After the Younger Dryas, more humid conditions returned, diatom abundance decreased and B. exilis was replaced by typical deep‐sea species as found in the region today, indicating the return of more oxygenated conditions at the sea floor. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Local and regional constraints on relative sea-level changes in southern Isle of Skye,Scotland, since the Last Glacial Maximum

New relative sea-level (RSL) data constrain the timing and magnitude of RSL changes in the southern Isle of Skye following the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). We identify a marine limit at ~23 m OD, indicating RSL ~20 m above present c. 15.1 ka. Isolation basin data, supported by terrestrial and marine limiting dates, record an RSL fall to 11.59 m above present by c. 14.2 ka. This RSL fall occurs across the time of global Meltwater Pulse 1A, supporting recent research on the sources of ice melting. Our new data also help to resolve some of the chronological issues within the existing Isle of Skye RSL record and provide details of the sub-Arctic marine environment associated with the transition into Devensian Lateglacial climate at c. 14.5 k cal a bp , and the timing of changes in response to the Loch Lomond Stadial climate. Glacio-isostatic adjustment (GIA) model predictions of RSL deviate from the RSL constraints and reflect uncertainties in local and global ice models used within the GIA models. An empirical RSL curve provides a target for future research.